I was captivated and unnerved a bit too. I loved seeing the complexities of the female main characters come to life.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & publisher for giving me early access to an e-ARC.

Evie Gordon spent years being told she had potential. Top grades, big dreams, promises made by everyone around her. Now she tutors children of the super-rich in Los Angeles and swims in debt she can’t seem to rise above. One Sunday she walks into the Victor house expecting a normal session only to find horror instead. Bodies in the garden. A terrified woman bound beneath the stairs. A door wide open like a trap.

Evie flees. She rescues Jae. Together they become fugitives unlikely partners on the run. News cameras label Evie guilty before she has a chance to breathe. Every small favor for escape costs them more. The road stretches long and dangerous. Evie wrestles with guilt, with fear, and with the knowledge that nothing about their flight feels clean.

The tension builds slowly at first then tightens until you can feel the throttle. The relationship between Evie and Jae grows from necessity into something fierce.

Some moments forced my disbelief. The speed at which Evie and Jae make decisions. The odds they evade. Yet those choices feel like character truths more than plot conveniences. Killer Potential is messy brutal hopeful and sharp. Solid debut!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. Unfortunately, I was not able to connect with the story and did not finish.

Killer Potential is a gripping debut thriller that seamlessly blends dark humor, social commentary, and edge-of-your-seat suspense. The story follows Evie Gordon, a former overachiever turned SAT tutor, who stumbles upon a double murder and becomes entangled in a nationwide manhunt. Deitch's sharp prose and witty narration bring Evie's chaotic journey to life, capturing the absurdity and danger of her situation. The evolving relationship between Evie and the mysterious woman she rescues adds depth and emotional resonance to the narrative. With its unexpected twists and thought-provoking themes, Killer Potential establishes Deitch as a fresh voice in the thriller genre.

This one has a weird mix of a bit of everything; murder mystery, road trip, little bit of Thelma and Louise vibes, social commentary on classism, burnt out gifted kid syndrome, a budding romance, and a grim look at the “American Dream” life so many chase. This one is HEAVILY character driven and I liked Evie and Jae’s dynamic in the beginning when the mystery was still unfolding. However, by the time it turned into a romance I was kind of done with the two of them. For the record, I love a LGBTQIA+ romance plot line just as much as a hetero one. But I only accept romance plot lines when necessary and then only if they make sense. Budding relationship while running from the law as the suspect of a manhunt in motels or houses that you can be caught at any moment? Neither the time nor place. I feel like it was also fairly repetitive and a bit slow paced for the story it was telling for my liking. It definitely has some standout writing in spots but as a whole I don’t know if it was my cup of tea. (For the record; major romance plot lines in books are always going to make the book as a whole a hard sell for me and that’s just a personal preference not a reflection of the authors work!!)

An SAT tutor is the prime suspect in the murder of her student’s family and ends up fleeing with a mute stranger. The synopsis drew me in, and I’ll say the execution was fine. It took me longer to read this one than I would expect with this plot. The beginning and end were more gripping, but the middle slowed down and kind of leveled off my excitement for this one. I think my favorite part of the novel was the relationship building between Evie and Jae. Overall, a good but not great read.

DNF 56%

these lesbians make a series of the worst decisions ever seen while fleeing from a murder scene and when they beat up some teenagers and stole their boat to have a romantic rendezvous (while on the run from being murder suspects!!!) and make plans to cross the country again to go to Canada I couldn't take it anymore. Canada! As if that will help you escape your life of idiot crimes! I can't even be bothered to check what the ~plot twist~ is. who cares I hope the lesbians have fun on their stolen boat anchored offshore in the middle of a hurricane. maybe the plot twist is they drown ??? One can hope.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy. I thought this book was a wild ride. I absolutely did not see that ending coming with the change in which character was telling the story. I thought this was fast paced and engaging. I don't know that I can say I liked the characters because they were all kind of awful, but they were well developed for sure. Overall, this was a quick and exciting story with great twists.

I really enjoyed this one. I related to the “super gifted student turned what am I doing with my life” pipeline of the MC Evie. I feel like the characters were interesting and fully fleshed out, and the story was paced well.

I don’t particularly enjoy romance/smut in my thrillers, but this one was sapphic so I’ll let it slide. I do feel like this came out of nowhere and didn’t have much build up, but I’m going to write it off as the adrenaline and trauma lol.

I feel like the first 75% was interesting, and I understood where the characters were coming from and what motivated them. I do think the last 25% got a little muddled and chaotic. This definitely helped it to stay a fun read, but it didn’t really feel to have made much sense including the ending. I feel like everything wrapped up a little too easily, but also was left unanswered? Which is why I can’t give this a higher rating.

Overall, though, I definitely recommend it and I had a good time reading it. I love a lesbian Thelma and Louise moment.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for sending this egalley for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

A promising thriller with an intriguing premise, but uneven pacing and underdeveloped characters hold it back from fully delivering.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy! I did not finish the book because I didn’t pay close attention to the description, and this book just wasn’t for me, I do normally love thrillers though,

Evie Gordon, a debt-laden ex-achievement kid turned SAT tutor, stumbles over a crime scene and winds up on the run with a mysterious companion. The pacing charges through twists and media-fueled chaos, while the sharp social critique of the American Dream gives the lies of “potential” real teeth. Though the romance and middle sections occasionally stall, Deitch’s bold vision and complex protagonist make this a compelling ride. A thrilling, morally ambiguous debut that earns a solid four stars!!! I am here for it!!!

I really enjoyed this book! The writing style was witty and flowed well. The characters were interesting and the plot was good. The only reason I can't give 5 stars is because there were times where I felt like the narrator focused too much on things that weren't important while other things felt rushed. But that's really my only complaint. Otherwise, I loved it!

Thank you for the opportunity to preview Killer Potential. I will call this a mix bag of mystery, drama, and romance. Not my favorite combination.
This started with a fast pace but slowed down a bit.
Slow burn 3 stars

I did not find that this book had killer potential. To me it felt a little flat and as a let down.

I was not very happy with the book and the way the plot played out.

I went into this book with high expectations because the opening really pulled me in. The suspense and tension at the start were promising, and I was curious to see where it would lead. However, as the story progressed, it shifted into an unexpected twisted love affair that didn’t quite land for me. Instead of delivering clear answers or a satisfying resolution, it left me feeling confused and, honestly, a bit let down. While it had potential (no pun intended), the lack of closure and the strange turn in the storyline made the overall experience just… meh.

One of the best books I’ve read all year. It kept me guessing until the very end. Be gay, do crimes — or does she??

𝙈𝙮 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5 stars)

𝙈𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨:

Ambition can be intoxicating and dangerous, and Killer Potential leans all the way into that. From the opening chapter, you can feel the sharp edges of this world where success comes at a cost and no one is as trustworthy as they seem. Hannah Deitch delivers a tense, character-driven thriller that is as much about personal stakes as it is about high-stakes plotting.

The story follows a young woman navigating a cutthroat environment where pressure mounts with every decision she makes. What starts as determination and drive slowly spirals into obsession, betrayal, and a chilling question of how far someone will go to win. I loved how Deitch wove moral ambiguity through every layer of the narrative. There were moments I was not sure whether to root for or fear the characters, and I mean that as a compliment.

It is not just a thriller, it is a character study wrapped in razor wire, smart, unsettling, and impossible to put down once it sinks its teeth in.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Hannah Deitch for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Killer Potential is available now.

I enjoyed this book. I really liked the storyline and the ending was unexpected. I would definitely read other books by this author.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this eARC. All opinions are my own.

This was an enjoyable reading experience.